DIPLOMACY/INTERACTION: Some
DIFFICULTY/COMPLEXITY: Easy
GAME LENGTH: Indefinite
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Varies
NOTE: Heroic Fantasy was nominated by the Academy of Adventure Game Arts & Design for the Origins Award for "Best PBM of 2001". For more details go to the Origins Awards
You direct a party of up to fifteen fighters and magic users (humans, elves, dwarves, fairies, gremlins, leprechauns, hobbits, goblins, even a troll, ogre, or giant) through a dungeon maze killing monsters, gathering treasure, and hunting for magical prizes.
You get to decide what kind of adventuring party you want to go with. The maximized constitution and strength would be a party of 5 human magic users and 5 human fighters. But some of the other combinations are even more fun. An Ogre magic user, an elf magic user and a dwarf magic user make a 3 character party that uses up all 100 of your points. You only get three characters, but they are tough. One that I think is fun is a giant fighter, and fourteen fairy magic users! The fairies fly around and put monsters to sleep, then the giant comes in and squashes them!
There are currently four levels (ultimately there will be a special fifth) and hundreds of players already exploring the depths. You may meet some of these players in the maze, and there is no certain way to determine at first meeting whether these are player characters or computer-run "NPCs" (non player characters). The object is to get your characters through all four levels alive, and get them into the fifth or "outdoor" level. After each level, there is a chance to get your characters entered into the "Hall of Fame" of adventurers which will be printed in our magazine. This game has been extensively play-tested, and has been running since 1982.
The per turn fee is only $3.00 and for this one fee you get to move all 15 of your characters. They can stay together or split up into as many as 15 parties moving in different directions, all for one single turn fee! No "extra action fees" ever.
Each level adds new things to the game. Be aware that the first couple turns are somewhat boring as you get your party started in the safe "entrance room", prepare your first spells, go into the store and buy your initial weapons and/or potions, and decide which direction to explore first. This is not just a "go into the room, kill the monster, take the prize" game. There are a lot of subtleties built into the game that you might not notice unless you pay careful attention to everything that is going on!
VARIANTS OFFERED:
Setup fee is $5 and turns are $3 each.
To read strategy articles about Heroic Fantasy, see FBQ.
To read a strategy article about HF quickie, click here.